Spain vs. Belgium: Red Devils facing major Kevin De Bruyne decision for 2026 World Cup quarter-final

Ahead of Belgium's 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Spain, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses whether Kevin De Bruyne volition travel backmost into the Red Devils side.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "Will person to beryllium a midfield reshuffle"

I deliberation the anticipation is that De Bruyne does travel backmost into the side. There volition person to beryllium a midfield reshuffle with the Onana wounded that was suffered successful that game, the ACL, devastating for him, Aston Villa, and Belgium. 

Vanaken replaced him successful that game, consecutive swap successful midfield. It's a hard 1 due to the fact that determination are pros and cons of both. 

They played truthful good without him, but was the statement that he's getting a spot of a remainder and volition present travel backmost in? You wouldn't truly remainder a subordinate for that. I admit he's aging now, but if you truly wanted to commencement him successful the past circular past I deliberation you would've started him. 

So that's 1 to ticker successful presumption of coming into this game, particularly against a Spain midfield that volition support the ball. They volition clasp possession, and De Bruyne volition person to bash a batch of off-the-ball enactment that his aging years whitethorn find difficult. 

Charles De Ketelaere started, arsenic expected, with Lukaku coming disconnected the seat again and uncovering the backmost of the net. If you've got a subordinate who's your archetypal substitute who scored 93 planetary goals, past you're astir apt doing thing right. 

Lukaku astatine 93 planetary goals is conscionable ridiculous. At the World Cup he's had his fittingness problems, but he's been truly good, and if helium is to beryllium the archetypal larboard of telephone disconnected the seat successful this game, what a subordinate to bring connected and perchance upset that Spain defence. 

Belgium's archetypal 2 performances were precise iffy, unbeaten successful the archetypal 2 but conscionable not convincing. Since past they're flying successful presumption of uncovering the backmost of the net. 

They're really a truly bully watch. You don't fancy them to support cleanable sheets, which would beryllium my interest for them successful this game. 

Debast was backmost connected the seat past clip out, the Sporting Lisbon centre-back who had unspeakable wounded problems past season, genu injuries and hamstring injuries. 

Belgium took him to the tourney knowing it would beryllium a large risk. He's not played this summertime yet, but helium was connected the seat past clip out. 

Can they find a mode to get him into the team? He's specified a large subordinate for them successful the mediate of their defence. 

A batch of enactment issues, De Bruyne, there's Debast. You can't spot him starting. He's not played yet successful this World Cup and helium missed the extremity of past play with Sporting Lisbon. 

I deliberation Belgium person done truly well. I don't deliberation a batch of america fancied them to get done the groups and possibly autumn successful the circular of 32 oregon circular of 16. 

But they're doing truly good and they've got immoderate truly bully players. There's a batch of prime successful the last third. 

Tielemans is having a truly bully World Cup successful the mediate of the park, a fantastic player. I ever liked him erstwhile helium archetypal came through, and done the second stages of his vocation arsenic well. 

I bash deliberation Belgium autumn abbreviated here, but I don't deliberation that should dampen what has been a truly bully World Cup for them from what was said pre-tournament.